Admission to our undergraduate degree programs usually requires successful completion of a senior secondary school qualification similar to the Higher School Certificate (HSC), the highest educational award in New South Wales schools.

Study mechanical engineering at UON

Where do mechanical engineers find jobs? Everywhere.

At UON we train engineers capable of solving the world’s greatest challenges. As a mechanical engineer, you may help address the world’s future energy needs by taking biomass, wind and tidal power solutions to the next level. You could design self-driving farm machinery for ultra efficient food production. Or tackle health issues by building revolutionary biomechanical solutions for people with disabilities.

What is mechanical engineering? Mechanical engineers design, manufacture and optimise specialist machines and processes. They solve important problems using robotics, new advanced materials, the fundamental laws of energy generation and transmission, and the computer control of physical systems - from nano to mega-tonne scale. They work on everything from power plants, to air conditioners, aircraft engines and racecars.

Advanced study options

The University of Newcastle’s postgraduate coursework hub, GradSchool, offers a suite of Master of Professional Engineering degrees so you can take your learning to the next level. In your Masters, you’ll deepen your technical skills, pursue your personal interests through a major project and specialise or broaden your skills through four more elective courses.

Career opportunities

Almost all industries need mechanical engineers. They work in medical, transport, automotive, aerospace, electronics, and mining industries, and in growth sectors like renewable energy, robotics, automation and advanced manufacturing.

Mechanical engineering is flexible and diverse. You may prefer hands-on fieldwork, design and development, or a leadership role managing people and projects. Typical positions include:

mechanical engineering designer

mechanical systems supervisor

mechanical technology engineer

operating plant manager

engineering project manager

process improvement engineer

Remarkably, engineering is the most commonly held degree among the highest performing Fortune 500 CEOs – the CEOs of companies such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Tesla Motors are all engineers.

Practical experience

All UON engineering students must complete 12 weeks of industrial experience during their degree. This can be completed in one block or as shorter placements of no less than two weeks. Through your work placement you’ll build important professional networks and put your learning into practice.

NU Racing

Every year our NU Racing team conceives, designs, fabricates and races with a small formula style racing car in the SAE-Australasian Formula competition.

Maritime RobotX competition

In the international Maritime RobotX competition students must modify an adaptive modular boat for a series of autonomous navigation and detection challenges.

A day in the life of an engineering grad

Meet Melanie Jackson, she was employed as a graduate Mechanical engineer over 1,200 other applicants and now works for one of the world's largest iron-ore producers in the heart of Western Australia. Here she shows you through a day in the life of her at work.

Admission to our undergraduate degree programs usually requires successful completion of a senior secondary school qualification similar to the Higher School Certificate (HSC), the highest educational award in New South Wales schools.

Other things to consider

Admission to this program is available to Australian students, residents and international students. Admission information for Australian students and residents is available online here. Admission information for international students can be found here. You may also be eligible to receive bonus points if you will be receiving an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). Please visit our website to see if you are eligible.

Your degree includes either compulsory or optional courses in maths. To maximise your likelihood of academic success, it is recommended that you select the course which matches your existing knowledge and understanding of maths concepts.

All Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the University’s English proficiency requirement. Further information regarding English language proficiency requirements can be found at the English Language Proficiency for Admission Policy here.

You can look at UON prep for options to brush up on knowledge before you start.

You should also think about degree add-ons like combined options or a Diploma in Languages. If you would like to learn an additional language alongside your main bachelor degree, then this program is for you. Languages offered include: Australian Sign Language (Auslan), Chinese, French, German and Japanese.

Apply to study in Australia

Both students and education agents can submit applications online using our Online Direct Admissions tool. This is our preferred way of application. You can save your application after you have started, and come back to it later.

Our position as one of the most highly ranked engineering faculties in Australia is recognised through our associate membership of the Group of Eight.

One of only three Australian member institutions of the Global Engineering Education Exchange Program.

Connect with UON Future Students

Disclaimer Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this website. However, changes to courses and programs may occur. The University accepts no responsibility for any information supplied on this web site or any actions taken on the basis of the information. Users are advised to seek confirmation of the information from the relevant area of the University.